Last year September I had the privileged to taste, what is probably Australia’s most iconic red wine from the Terra Rosa or red soils of the Barossa Valley, South Australia.

Yes, I am talking about a Penfolds Grange 2000; bottle number 17756!

The Grange is a single varietal red wine, made from the Shiraz grape. In short the wine is vinified in open fermenters using Bayanus yeast strains. The wine is then softly handled by using a basket press, before it is matured in 300 liter oak barrels.

Bottle #17756 had a very deep and youthful red colour, even after 11 years from being harvested.

On the nose I found an abundance of Italian black truffles, followed by layers of Peppermint Crisp chocolate and sour cherries.

The most amazing thing about this wine tough, was how well the nose followed through to the palate. Every single aromatic feature became a dimension on the palate.

The mouth feel of this prestigious Australian red can be summarized in the following three words: